Life-work balance is simple to understand-and sometimes difficult to achieve.

Your overall life comes first. Your work is just part of your overall life (albeit a very important part!)

Thus, I speak and write about life-work balance. It is not work-life balance.

Balance is defined as a condition in which different elements are in the correct proportions. Life-work balance is the idea that everything in your life is in the correct proportions…for YOU, not according to someone else’s formula.

As a dancer, finding balance means distributing my weight correctly, so I can move. In order to travel, bend, stretch, turn and twirl, I establish the right relationship between different parts of my body, with the floor, and with the overall space within which I dance.

Finding balance on one leg (for certain turns) requires good core strength, and avoiding the physical habits that take me out of balance-like leaning too far forward or too far back.

There is nothing static about finding balance. Some days are better than others. One day it might take microscopic adjustments and normal core strength to achieve balance on one leg. Other days it takes superb concentration, conscious use of my core and the aid of a support barre or a partner to find balance-even for a few seconds.

Finding life balance is similar. It is never static. Some parts of life need microscopic adjustments and normal fortitude to achieve balance. Other times and parts of life need the exercise of forgotten or never-used-muscles and major supports-by family, friends, or a coach.

To achieve balance when nothing feels in balance requires radical honesty. It requires discovering or remembering what you value your value and what makes you happy. It requires asking the question of positive psychology. What gives you a sense of emotional ‘flow’?

Achieving balance requires the courage to modify, change, transform or even abandon what once worked, but what may no longer work for you. It requires creating a vision of your ideal life, accepting it will take work, and being willing to persevere through discomfort and setbacks.

Whether you need to make small adjustments, or major ones, know I can be there for you. Contact me to schedule a complimentary coaching consultation. Finding balance takes practice, and initially, some form of support. You know inside yourself if you need support to find your balance.

Don’t go it alone.

Contact me for a consultation or a presentation for your organization on how to combat stress and achieve life-work balance.

For more blog posts on how to achieve life-work balance, check out these links: